Editor’s Note: Alisha Breen starred on the basketball court at Choteau and has enjoyed a spectacular career at Montana State Billings. She scored 1,210 points her first three seasons with the Yellowjackets and 12 months ago was the preseason player of the year in the GNAC conference. A year ago this week she tore the ACL in a knee and had to sit out the campaign. Now she’s back. Earlier this week she scored 31 points in MSU B’s exhibition victory over Montana Western, after which we caught up with her for our Sunday Conversation.

Question: I’ll bet it feels good to be back healthy and playing basketball, Alisha.

Answer: It feels wonderful.

Q: Were you worried about testing the knee prior to the game the other night?

A: I wasn’t really worried, because I have trust in my leg and feel really strong. But I was nervous. The adrenaline and game scenario is so much different than practice. I guess I was worried about being a little rusty.

Q: You’ve had such a fantastic career. I’ll bet you’re thankful for how it’s worked out.

A: Every day. I wouldn’t change my decision to come here for the world. I’ve met so many wonderful people here who have influenced my life. And the basketball has been great. We’ve got to travel to many places and we’ve been successful.

Q: I’ve known coach Kevin Woodin for a long time. What makes him such a good coach?

A: Oh man. Kevin has so many good qualities. He’s like a second dad to me. He cares so much about his players as people. He knows where that boundary is between being a friend off the court and a coach on the court. He doesn’t let any personal problems or bad games that we might have affect how he treats us as a person.

Q: Did you have a lot of other offers coming out of high school at Choteau?

A: You know, I didn’t have a ton. I actually was going to verbal to Idaho State. Everybody heard that and (recruiters) actually stopped talking to me. Then when I let them know at Idaho State they actually backed out of the scholarship offer. The recruiting process is so hard that I was worried I wasn’t going to get anything else. But (coach) Woodin heard through Matt Luedtke (boys’ basketball at Choteau) that I was still available. A big factor in my coming here was Bobbi Knudsen (former Malta and MSU Billings basketball star). Kind of the same thing happened to her in high school. She had a scholarship pulled, too. It was nice having that extra persuasion. I knew I’d get a chance to play with Montana kids here and be on a good team.

Q: So the Montana Lady Griz and Montana State Bobcats weren’t really after you?

A: I talked to both of them, but they kind of wanted me to walk on. I had a bum shoulder my senior year and I think that played a part. I ended up having shoulder surgery after my senior year of high school.

Q: Well, it’s all worked out for the best, right?

A: Yes, it sure has.

Q: What are your top memories from your high school career? I know you started as a freshman, correct?

A: Yes. Talk about nerves. You have that in college, too, but in high school when you’re in front of your whole hometown there are a lot of nerves. My freshman year we were the first girls’ team to ever make it to State at Choteau. We won our opening game, then lost to Fairfield in the semifinals. I had a lot of losses to Fairfield, I’m sure you know that (laughs).

Q: So did a lot of other teams, Alisha.

A: That’s true (laughs). But getting to State as a freshman was definitely one of my favorite moments. Every year was different. My senior year we had a lot of people who came to all our games, so I knew I was getting recruited a little bit. And that was exciting. In high school, the North (Division in Class B) was so hard with Malta and Fairfield so the end of my seasons were disappointing.

Q: Did you get back to the state tournament after that first season with the Bulldogs?

A: No, we didn’t. They only took two teams and Malta and Fairfield were so dominant. We probably should have made it my senior year, but I had shoulder problems that were on ongoing problem. I think I dislocated my shoulder three times that season. By the end of that year it wasn’t the most fun.

Q: Do you still have a lot of good friends from high school?

A: I do. There were four seniors on our team who were key players for the most part my sophomore, junior and senior years. I’m very close to them. I’m also really close in general with people from Choteau. I went home every summer I've been in college and played a lot of basketball against the men’s team. Matt Luedtke allowed me to come back and play. And that was fun. My brother (Liam), who is two years younger than me, and his buddies were the first Choteau team to win State in 2015. Then they went back-to-back the next year. So there were a lot of boys who went on to play basketball. We had the most competitive open gyms during the summer. You could have anywhere from five to six college kids playing in a smalltown gym in Choteau. I couldn’t even get that in Billings.

Q: That’s cool. Who are those other senior teammates you had your last year at Choteau?

A: Mikayla Renteria, Lexie Sullivan and Ellie Zwerneman. They were the seniors. And Celie Salmond was a huge part of my high school career. I keep in touch with her. She’s been very successful in rodeo at Bozeman (at Montana State). (John) Shepherd and (Megan) Grossman were two of my favorite coaches.

Q: It must make you feel good to have so much support in your hometown.

A: It does. Whether it’s Facebook or text messages, everybody is keeping track. I had a game my junior year during the week of State wrestling here in Billings. It was a Thursday game and the Choteau wrestling team came here and painted their chests with “Breen” and “20” and stood up the whole game. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that (laughs). The support I have from Choteau is absolutely amazing.

Q: That’s great. Let’s talk about that Choteau-Fairfield rivalry. You never beat them in high school?

A: We never did. We never won, but we had some good games. When I was a sophomore we were up after the first quarter 20-6. And then that same year at districts we were up by eight going into the fourth quarter. But we could never close. They were so deep and so big. They just wore on you and it was hard to keep any kind of lead. They were so talented, with Jill (Barta), the Klinker girls, the Coverdell girls who are playing at Tech, Jordan Johnson and Syd Steinbach … The list goes on and on. But we were always competitive and it was fun to play against them.

Q: It had to be. The gyms were always packed.

A: Absolutely.

Q: How about your rivalries with Malta? You must have played a lot against Bobbi?

A: Yes. And Courtney Henry. Bobbi’s senior year was my freshman year, and divisionals were in Choteau. We played in the semifinal game and she guarded me. I had broken my (left) wrist at districts that year and I was playing with a brace. I was playing the 5 (center) and I remember thinking, why is the best player in the state guarding me when she’s 5-7? She was annoying (laughs). But they shot the crap out of it and I think ended up beating us by double digits. So that was hard. But we came back and won through and went to state. I think we played Malta every year after that in the divisional semifinals, and we had some close games. The Hi-Line, I tell you what, there’s nothing like the Northern B in basketball. I’ve watched a lot of basketball since I’ve been in Billings, the Southern B, and it’s not the same. The Northern B is so tough.

Q: I agree with you. Great traditions and fan bases for basketball in the Northern B.

A: That’s right.

Q: I guess I forget about all those injuries you had in high school. Did that help you a little bit deal with the knee injury last year?

A: In a huge way. Obviously you don’t want to get hurt, and I made it through three years here for the most part without major injuries. When I heard I’d torn my ACL I had people tell me, ‘the hardest part in coming back is the mental part.’ But I was never worried about that, because I’d had it with my shoulder. So I went into the rehab with a positive attitude, thinking I’d been here before and could come back from it. You certainly have moments when you wonder if you’re ever going to come back from it, but I definitely think everything else I had to deal with helped me get through last year.

Q: How has your game improved during your college career?

A: I’ve always had a post game, because in high school I played the 5. Off the dribble I have a better jumper now than I’ve ever had. I’m better at handling the ball and creating for myself. It was different in high school. I was 5-10, bigger than everybody by four inches and could do whatever I wanted. But here, I can go from having a player at 6-1 who’s slower guarding me, to the next game having a player who’s 5-7 and quicker. But I can play both inside and outside pretty well. I think I’ve become more well-rounded with a mid-range game that’s helped me a lot. For example on Monday night I hit some jumpers that I never would have made a couple years ago.

Q: Do you think the fact you weren’t really heavily recruited put a bit of a chip on your shoulder? Has that helped you?

A: Definitely. I was always good in high school, and I always had people tell me I should go to Bozeman or Missoula. I was disappointed when I didn’t get as much interest from those two teams. But looking back now, I wouldn’t change where I am. The fact Bobbi was here and how well she did … when she was a senior here she was the best player in Montana, hands down. So I looked at that and thought I could play four years here and make a difference. Obviously D-1 is D-1 and D-2 is D-2, but we play teams like Alaska-Anchorage, which was second at nationals last year. They played Duke this preseason. I mean, a lot of D-2 teams could hang with Big Sky teams. I wanted to make a difference here. Even though maybe I could be playing (D-1), I have so much respect for my program and my coach that I would never leave.

Q: Let me ask you about Taylor Edwards from CMR. She’s coming off knee surgery, too. She was a great one for the Rustlers. How is she doing?

A: Oh, I love Tay. I wouldn’t obviously ever wish an ACL injury on anybody, but the fact I tore mine and she tore hers, we got really close last year. My surgery date was actually two months on the dot before hers, so she’s a little bit behind me (in rehab). But every week she shows improvement. Her quickness is coming back. The girl is just a deadeye from 3. I think the deeper we get into the season the more comfortable she’s going to get. It was her first injury, so I think having me there as a support system helped. And the same for me. She helped me a lot. I’m excited for her season.

Q: What about another of your teammates, freshman Hannah Collins of Great Falls High? How is Hannah doing?

A: I tell you what, I’ve played with a lot of people and she’s the fastest person I’ve ever stepped on a basketball court with. She has the quickest first step I think I’ve ever seen. That’s very beneficial for me. Obviously she’s just a freshman, and that first year is never fun. It’s hard to go from high school to college because everything’s quicker and everybody’s faster, practices are harder and you have to balance school … but I think she’ll be playing our backup point and I’m excited to see the dynamic she’s going to bring to the court. I think she’ll end up being very beneficial to our team.

Q: I thought Hannah might redshirt?

A: You know, I don’t think so. I think she wants to play, from the conversations I’ve had with her. I’m not kidding, she’s the fastest player I’ve ever seen on the court.

Q: What are your expectations for the Yellowjackets this season?

A: Our slogan is “limitless,” and that’s exactly what we are. We didn’t get a lot of respect from the GNAC coming in. We were ranked seventh out of 11 in the preseason. We didn’t have a good year last year, but we were missing girls. We have three girls, myself included, who would have been starters last year. So it’s exciting. We’re not huge, but we’re quick and we shoot the ball well. We have a lot of experience and I think we’ll keep improving. Honestly my goal is to make it to the conference tournament, but I think come March we’ll be one of the top teams in the GNAC and contending for first place. I really do.

Q: I’ll bet that would be a bonus, and if you can just stay healthy it will be a great season for you.

A: That’s exactly right. After last Monday, just being back and in uniform and getting to play with my best friends, was great. I have friendships on this team that will last me a lifetime. Just being able to be back on the court has been great.

Q: Congratulations on your career, Alisha, and all the best to you this season.

A: Thank you very much, Scott. I really appreciate it.

Scott Mansch’s Sunday Conversations appear frequently in this space. Mansch can be contacted at 791-1481 or smansch@greatfallstribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @GFTrib_SMansch